The Creative Curve

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What to expect

Random House presents the audiobook edition of The Creative Curve, written and read by Allen Gannett.

Great ideas take something familiar and make it feel new.

We've all heard the stories about creative geniuses -- the young Mozart who effortlessly overshadows the hardworking Salieri; Paul McCartney coming up with the tune for Yesterday in a dream one morning; JK Rowling finding inspiration for Harry Potter sitting on a train to London. What we aren’t told is the real story behind such hits. In fact there is a science and method for mainstream success, whether writing a popular novel, starting a company or creating an effective marketing campaign, and in this book Allen Gannett – data wizard and successful entrepreneur -- reveals the four laws of creativity that are proven to work.

New ideas are surprising at first, and slowly become familiar as we get used to them. Allan Gannett reveals there’s a sweet spot between what feels familiar and safe to us, and what is innovative and new: the point of optimal tension between safety and surprise, similarity and difference. The people we think of as creative geniuses are people who understand this sweet spot instinctively; they know what people find familiar and reassuring, and they find ways to reinvent it fresh.

Packed with stories and insights ranging from the team behind Dear Evan Hansen to the founder of Reddit, from the Chief Content Officer of Netflix to Michelin starred chefs, The Creative Curve will help you spend less time on ideas destined to fail and more time on ideas that really break out. This book is for everyone, whether you’re a business leader, a creative artist or a budding entrepreneur – and will teach you the secret to conceiving great ideas that can achieve major success.

Critics Review

A juicy, rollicking tour along the path toward creativity

Seth Godin

The Creative Curve takes on one of the most pernicious beliefs about creativity — that it is limited to natural-born geniuses. In fact, as Allen Gannett argues so capably, we all have the potential to come up with ingenious ideas and make them a reality. Seasoned with lively anecdotes, The Creative Curve will take you through the science and practice of creativity so that you can start tapping into your own breakthroughs.

Daniel Pink, author of 'When' and 'To Sell is Human'

To anyone who thinks they are uninspired, stifled, or creatively infertile… this book is for you. Allen Gannett shows that you aren’t truly any of those things. You’re just doing it wrong.

Ann Handley, author of 'Everybody Writes'

Insightful, inventive and practical. . . The Creative Curve shifts our understanding of creativity from a difficult-to-repeat light-bulb moment into a well illuminated and researched path to continual inspiration and creative success.

Shawn Achor, author of 'Big Potential' and 'The Happiness Advantage'

All human beings have the potential for great creativity. Gannett explodes the myth that creativity is some mystical talent some are born with while others are not. Read this book to help understand how to unlock your own creativity, and the creativity of every person on your team.

Kim Scott, author of 'Radical Candor'

Drawing on interviews with highly successful entrepreneurs, Gannett shows that the generation of creative ideas is not the result of a stroke of genius—any more than are the winning performances of Olympic athletes. Both are the culmination of years of preparation and practice. His book uncovers the effective practice methods, such as intensive self-study and experimentation, the search for feedback from masters and peers, and gradual refinement of product ideas.

K. Ander Ericsson, author of 'Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise'

The perfect book for any marketer who feels that they want to be more creative but doesn’t know how. Gannett makes clear that creating hit products and campaigns, is not something mystical, but rather a critical skill to learn and arm yourself with.

Megan Eisenberg, CMO of MongoDB

If you want to understand creativity, and cultivate and maximize your own, The Creative Curve is the book you need.

Richard Florida, author of 'The Rise of The Creative Class'

The Creative Curve is a must read for digital marketers. Our job is to tell amazing stories that resonate with our audience. Gannett makes it clear that honing this skill is not only possible, but has a well-traveled roadmap.

Beverley Jackson, VP of social strategy for MGM Resorts International

The Creative Curve is a must-read for anyone in the business of innovation. And Allen Gannett is one of the smartest entrepreneurs and writers of his generation. His writing is fresh, compelling, and delightfully fun to get through. You’ll find yourself wishing for even more.

Shane Snow, author of 'Dream Teams' and 'SmartCuts'

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